Abe moves to distance himself from Osaka school after praising principal’s ideology
BY TOMOHIRO OSAKI
STAFF WRITER
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday sought to deny allegations that he is linked to an Osaka-based ultranationalist kindergarten as the public outcry over the operator and its alleged efforts to indoctrinate children with xenophobia and pre-war militarism grows.
At the center of the controversy is Tsukamoto Kindergarten, a private school that recently came under fire for distributing letters to parents that accused Korean residents and Chinese of “possessing wicked thoughts.”
It has also emerged that the principal, Yasunori Kagoike, had briefly used Abe’s name in the past to raise funds to build Mizuho no Kuni, an elementary school slated to open April this year.
Pan-Africa festival of film projects a renewed sense of optimism
Fans, stars and film-makers travel to Burkina Faso for 25th Fespaco, the biggest and most popular African film event in the world
The audience were taking no chances: as the sky brightened over the city in the morning, they lined up outside Ciné Burkina in scarves and horn-rimmed glasses, keen to be the first to catch Frontières.
The film is the poignant tale of the multiple dangers faced by four African women trying to get across west Africa to Lagos by bus – including rape, extortion, hijacking and road accidents – and their developing friendship along the way.
Most of those attending had crossed borders themselves to be there, albeit less hazardous ones than the Frontières characters, so it was a fitting start for the 25th edition of the pan-African festival of cinema and television (Fespaco) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the biggest and most popular African film event in the world.
Nearly 10 attacks on refugees a day in Germany in 2016
‘Nazis are threatening refugees and therefore our democracy,’ says left-wing politician
An average of nearly 10 attacks a day were carried out on refugees in Germany last year, according to the country’s interior ministry.
Attacks injured 560 people, including 43 children, and prompted accusations that the country’s hardened stance on the refugee issue was encouraging hate crimes.
According to the ministry, there were more than 3,500 attacks on refugees and asylum hostels
Three quarters of attacks were against individuals outside buildings housing refugees, with 1,000 attacks on the building themselves.27 February 2017
Haitians' ire over carnival spending amid hurricane's ruins
Starjuin Regent is still waiting for Haitian government aid to help him rebuild his fishing business, which was destroyed last year by Hurricane Matthew.
In the nearly five months since the massive category five storm hit, residents are still struggling to rebuild shattered homes and businesses.
All the more reason then, for the ire of Regent and many others over millions of dollars spent by officials on upcoming carnival festivities in his hometown of Les Cayes.
"I've lost my boat. My home has been destroyed. I'm struggling all by myself to get back on my feet, but it's hard," said Regent, with a weary look on his face.
- 'A lot of blah, blah, blah' -
Egyptian Christians fleeing the Sinai after sectarian killings
The latest exodus was triggered by a series of killings that culminated in the murder of a Christian plumber in front of his family on Thursday.
Egyptian Christians fearing attacks by Islamic State group militants fled the volatile northern part of the Sinai Peninsula for a fourth day on Sunday, after a string of sectarian killings there sent hundreds packing and raised accusations the government is failing to protect the minority.
Over 100 families from the town of el-Arish and nearby have come to the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Cairo, since Friday, Nabil Shukrallah of the city's Evangelical Church said.
Families arrive scared and in need of supplies, which are being stockpiled at the church via donations from several parishes, he said. They are then transported to be housed in and around the city, in private homes and now also accommodation provided by the government.
Super Mario go-karts hit Nintendo roadblock in Tokyo
Nintendo files copyright lawsuit against Tokyo company providing go-karts and costumes to real-life Mario wannabes.
By DANIEL HURST
Zipping around the streets of Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya district in a go-cart dressed as a Nintendo Super Mario character is listed as one of the 17 unique things to try in Japan’s capital. (It’s number eight.)
But maybe not for much longer. Nintendo, the maker of all things Super Mario, including the Mario Kart video game, has taken umbrage at the company providing the real-life experience of buzzing Tokyo streets as a Mario look-alike.
Nintendo filed a copyright lawsuit against Shinagawa-based MariCAR, which offers the go-kart thrills and the costumes. In a statement issued on Friday, Nintendo said the suit filed in the Tokyo District Court alleges MariCAR breached Nintendo’s intellectual property rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment